A picture of the outside of Zeppoli's Italian Restaurant. |
On April 1, 2012, I went with my friends Katelyn, Katy, and Matt to Zeppoli's for the wine dinner pairing. We had attended one of these before so we knew to get there early to get our own table. It was a full house that night so I'm glad that we did. The night went just as it did the first time we participated, and we had a great time.
My friend Katy and I at the dinner waiting for our wine. |
The dinner was buffet style with a
plethora of different Italian dishes. The food included garlic bread, cheese and crackers, chicken salad with balsamic dressing, a mediterranean pasta with feta cheese, pasta with meat sauce, and small pizza slices. There was no dessert this time.
The vibe was very casual. We
all sat around and began eating our food while the guide of the tasting began
describing the wines. He was a great leader throughout the meal. He
would describe each wine, what we should smell and what we should taste, as
well as what the best thing would be to pair it with. It was especially
helpful when he said what food on our plates we should eat with that particular
wine. It really enhanced the experience because we were able to correctly
pair the wines and understand what a really good food pairing can do for the
flavor of a wine. Something that was a little bit different was that instead of giving us all of the information about each wine upfront, he left pairs of them a mystery to us and we had to guess which one was more expensive, which had more alcohol, and what time of grape we thought they were. This made it interactive and fun.
All nine Italian wines we tasted at the dinner. |
Fossi Bianco White Table Wine: $6.99, 11.5% alcohol; This wine was very subtle. It had pear and apple flavors on the nose and the taste as well. I tasted this with the mediterranean pasta which was the perfect pairing. They were both very light and accompanied each other well. The aftertaste of this wine dropped off quickly but it was delicious overall.
La Fiera 2010 Pinot Grigio Veneto: $7.99, 12% alcohol; This wine was a little bit bitter on the nose, the taste, and the aftertaste. However, it was smooth, refreshing, and it had hints of apple and pair.
Nals Margried 2010 Pinot Grigio Alto Adige: $14.00, 14% alcohol; This had a very strong citrusy nose and had a stronger flavor than the first. It was slightly heavier bodied than the Fossi Bianco however it was still very light and refreshing. I tasted this with the mediterranean pasta as well.
Lodali 2011 Moscato D'Asti: $12.99, 5.5% alcohol; This wine was very sweet and bubbly. The bubbles made it more refreshing which was good because it helped cut the sweetness a little bit. I would have liked to have tasted this wine at the end of my meal with dessert instead of in the middle of the meal. However, I did enjoy this Moscato because it had hints of apples and peach and was deliciously sweet.
Luca Primativo del Salento Puglia: $8.99, 13% alcohol; This wine was very hot on the nose and I didn't like how it smelled. However, I really liked the way that it tasted. It had big fruit flavors but was also spicy, which created the perfect balance. I tasted this with the pasta with meat sauce and after doing so, the fruit flavors became even more prominent.
SUD 2010 Primativo Puglia: $11.99, 13.5 alcohol; This wine had big cherry flavors and unlike the one right before this, I loved the way it smelled as well as how it tasted. It was fruity, smooth, and full-bodied. I tasted it with the pasta with meat sauce.
Morli Neri 2009 Chianti DOCG: $9.99, 12.5 alcohol; This wine was slightly spicy and I could detect blackberry. It was a medium-bodied wine, smooth, and slightly acidic. It was a very good wine and I really enjoyed it.
Bibi Graetz 2010 Casamata Toscana: $12.99, 12% alcohol; This wine was extremely spicy on the nose and the taste. It was not my favorite of the night, however the aftertaste did linger for a long time which was nice. I tasted it with the pasta with red sauce which was the perfect pairing and it cut down some of the spiciness.
Locali 2009 Nebbiolo D'Alba Sant Ambrogrio: $17.99, 13.5% alcohol; This wine was by far my favorite of the night! At first, I didn't really like the nose of the wine but upon tasting it, I totally changed my mind. It was somewhat sweet when it first hit my mouth and then that sweetness melted away and became slightly spicy. It was complex and satisfying. Definitely the best of the night.
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